On 7 January 2012, the FBI Tampa JTTF arrested Sami Osmakac, 25, of Pinellas Park, Florida, as part of a planned law enforcement operation after he allegedly took possession of explosives, a fully automatic AK-47 assault rifle, ammunition and magazines for the AK-47, a pistol, ammunition and a magazine for the pistol, grenades, and a suicide vest. Osmakac allegedly planned to attack a target in Tampa, according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint.

Osmakac is charged with attempted use of weapons of mass destruction.

In late September 2011, a confidential source informed the FBI of Osmakac’s interest in purchasing flags representing al-Qa‘ida. In subsequent conversations, Osmakac allegedly expressed the desire to conduct a violent attack in the Tampa area and asked for assistance in procuring a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), weapons such as Uzis or AK-47s, and an explosives-laden belt to use in a two-stage attack. As part of an undercover operation, Osmakac was introduced to an individual whom he believed to hold extremist beliefs and was able to supply weapons and explosives. All weapons, ammunition, and explosives provided by the FBI had previously been rendered inoperable.

Osmakac allegedly outlined various scenarios in which he would park a VBIED near busy nightspots and return to his nearby hotel room to collect the remaining weapons. He would then return to the scene to detonate the VBIED remotely, and in the aftermath conduct a small-arms attack at a nearby location while wearing a suicide vest. According to a confidential source, Osmakac said he would attempt to take hostages and contact authorities, specifically the FBI, in order to negotiate the release of Muslim prisoners. Osmakac told the same source that he believed that detonating the VBIED before he took hostages would prove he was “not joking.” Osmakac allegedly planned to release the hostages and detonate the suicide vest while surrendering to law enforcement after his demands were met, according to court documents